While I was five months pregnant, my husband, Randall Harris, accompanied his assistant to the hospital for an IV drip.  

He even posted a selfie with her on social media.  

I called him, and he lied straight to my face, saying he was stuck in a meeting at the office.  

When I confronted him, he fought with me, gave me the cold shoulder, and then went straight back to his assistant for comfort.  

“Are you sure you don’t want to notify the baby’s father? The surgeon asked me. “After this surgery, you won’t ever be able to have children again.” 

I closed my eyes. 

“He’s dead to me.”

The procedure was over quickly, but the pain was far worse than I had anticipated.

I found myself absentmindedly touching my now-flat stomach.

There had been a life once.

The brief bond I shared with this child felt like a nightmare I couldn’t wake from.

For five months, I endured my husband’s cold indifference and impatience and Macy Ericson’s smug provocations. Every night, the tension would haunt my dreams, leaving me drenched in cold sweat.

Now, though, it was over.

That tiny life inside me had saved me.

After three days of recovery at the hospital, I was finally discharged.

Yet, as I stepped out, my husband, Randall Harris, was waiting at the entrance. He held a bouquet of champagne roses, my favorite.

The moment he saw me, he draped a coat over my shoulders. "It’s cold out. Why are you dressed so little?"

He offered the roses to me. “Do you like them?”

I knew what he was doing, offering me a way to smooth things over.

It was our unspoken rule: when one of us upset the other, a favorite gift was meant to act as an apology and compensation.

In the past, I would’ve been easy to appease. A simple gesture from Randall and I’d have come running back like a puppy desperate for affection.

However, the sight of him just disgusted me now.

This man didn’t deserve to be my child’s father.

Two weeks ago, he’d invited me to a company party.

When I arrived, I found a crowd of men and women completely drunk, sprawled across the lounge.

Macy was seated comfortably on Randall’s lap, gazing at him with sultry eyes. Their faces were so close their lips nearly touched. The air between them was electric.

The moment they noticed me, the mood shifted. A few people looked away awkwardly, as if my presence had ruined their fun.

Macy immediately scrambled off Randall, avoiding my gaze like a guilty child.

In a fit of rage, I smashed everything in the lounge.

Randall didn’t hesitate. He slapped me across the face and threw me out.

I stumbled down the busy streets, eventually collapsing on the sidewalk. A kind stranger found me and brought me to the hospital.

When I woke up, the doctor said my baby’s condition wasn’t good.

I shouldn’t have been surprised. How could a child conceived in such a loveless, toxic environment ever thrive?

I tried calling Randall, hoping we could talk things through. I called nine times, but no one answered.

On the tenth try, Macy picked up.

“Ms. Nara, Mr. Harris is busy. He’s asked not to be disturbed by anyone.”

She emphasized the word “anyone”.

What kind of wife had to go through her husband’s assistant just to reach him?

I hung up without a word and made an appointment for the abortion.

Macy’s actions didn’t happen in a vacuum. They were with Randall’s full consent.

Together, they robbed me of my child, stole my chance at motherhood, and expected to sweep it all under the rug like nothing ever happened.

Did they really think my child’s life was so insignificant?

I took the bouquet from Randall and threw it into the nearest trash can without hesitation.

“Randall, I don’t want your disgusting flowers.”

I didn’t want someone so disgusting.

Anger flashed across Randall’s face. However, he quickly smothered it.

He reached for my hand anyway, gently leading me toward the car.

“It’s okay. If you don’t like these, I’ll get you something else next time.”

When I opened the car door, my gaze immediately fell on the passenger seat.

Hanging prominently was a laminated sign that read "Princess Macy’s Seat", surrounded by cutesy stickers. It was all so juvenile, so cheesy.

Randall’s car was always pristine, orderly, and devoid of any personal touch. For something like this to be in his car, it spoke volumes about how far he was willing to indulge Macy.

Noticing my gaze, Randall looked visibly uncomfortable. “Macy’s still a bit childish, so I let her do what she wants.”

Childish? That “child” was two years older than me.

I didn’t bother responding. Instead, I slid into the back seat without a word.

Randall, likely relieved by my uncharacteristic silence, sighed and got into the driver’s seat.

As we drove, his phone buzzed on the console. He glanced at it but didn’t answer, probably out of consideration for my presence. Still, his distracted demeanor didn’t escape me.

“You should answer that,” I said flatly. “It could be important.”

The phone rang again. This time, he pulled over to take the call.

From the speaker came Macy’s voice. “Mr. Harris, I’m all alone at the hospital, and I’m scared. I don’t know anyone here. Can you come and be with me?”

Randall’s tone immediately shifted, dripping with concern. “Don’t worry, I’ll be there soon.”

As he ended the call, he shot me an apologetic glance.

“Nara, Macy’s young and all alone by herself at the hospital. I’ll go check on her and come back right after, okay?”

As if afraid I wouldn’t agree, he hastily added, “Don’t be unreasonable. I’m just—”

I didn’t wait for him to finish. I opened the car door and stepped out, waving dismissively. “Go ahead.”

Randall looked like he wanted to say more, but it was clear his worry about Macy outweighed any lingering guilt toward me.

Before he left, he called out, “Just head home, okay? I’ll be back tonight.”

With that, he drove off, leaving me by the side of the road without a second thought about how I’d get home.

He didn’t care that I’d just been discharged from the hospital myself. His concern for Macy at the hospital was apparently greater than his guilt toward me.

Then again, Randall didn’t even know we’d lost a child.

…

Randall didn’t come home that night.

Not that it surprised me.

There was a time when I’d wait up for him, his favorite dishes carefully prepared.

Not anymore.

Now, I sat curled up on the couch, reviewing our shared finances.

My lawyer had already told me that Randall was the one at fault in the marriage. That would work in my favor during the division of assets.

I also reached out to a few private investigators to gather evidence of Randall’s infidelity.

I wasn’t the type to pine over lost love. If love couldn’t support me, then money would.

Since Macy wanted this trash of a man so badly, she could have him. After all, she seemed to enjoy recycling garbage.

I thought back to when I held Randall’s hand and asked playfully, “Randall, will you love me forever?”

He tapped my nose with mock exasperation. “What kind of question is that? Of course, I’ll love you forever!”

My breath hitched. Even though I knew men could not be trusted, his sweet words melted something soft inside me.

However, I still held onto some naive pride. “If you ever stop loving me, I’ll take all the money I can and disappear somewhere so far away that you’ll never find me.”

The memory brought me back to the present, and I realized tears were streaming down my face. Not for myself, but for the child I’d lost.

Lucky jumped onto the couch, nudging at my face and licking my tears away with his warm, wet tongue. His big, soulful eyes were full of confusion and concern. He burrowed into my lap as if trying to comfort me.

I needed to go far, far away from here.

I’d take Lucky to Athens, Milan, and the places closest to heaven, where we could watch the northern lights together.

As the night deepened, I eventually drifted off, curled up on the couch.

Sometime later, I was awakened by a sudden warmth beside me.

Randall wrapped his arms around me and whispered, “Nara, why didn’t you save me dinner tonight?”

Dinner? Why would I?

How many times had I waited for him late into the night, setting out meals made with love, only for them to end up in the trash?

I turned slightly, creating a small gap between us, and said nothing.

…

The next morning, I headed to the office early.

The company had been something Randall and I started together. However, as the years passed, I’d taken a back seat, choosing to focus on supporting him and our home.

Today, however, was different. There was an important meeting with a client I’d personally nurtured a relationship with over the years.

If there’s one thing I won’t fight with, it’s money.

Randall was surprised to see me walking into the office. “What brings you here?”

In public, he always maintained the appearance of a perfect husband, all charm and courtesy.

I ignored his attempt to place a hand on my back and walked past him with a polite smile. “The company belongs to both of us. Why wouldn’t I be here?”

A flash of awkwardness crossed his face as he stepped in front of me. “Of course you can. It’s just… you haven’t been around for a while, and I gave your old office to Macy.”

My steps faltered.

Looking up, I saw it.

My name had been replaced on the office door. In its place was Macy’s name.

“This office was mine. When did that change?” I asked.

Before Randall could answer, Macy stepped out of the office. Dressed in a white dress, she looked pitiful.

“Ms. Nara, please don’t blame Mr. Harris. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have taken your space. I don’t want you two to fight because of me.”

Randall instinctively moved to shield her, his expression shifting to annoyance as he turned to me.

“Nara, don’t be unreasonable.”

Unreasonable? It was as if they hadn’t taken over what was rightfully mine in my absence.

However, I let it go for now. Glancing at my watch, I reminded Randall, “Michael will be here any minute. This deal can’t fall apart.”

Randall’s expression shifted as he realized the importance of the situation. He shot Macy a reassuring look before taking my hand to lead me toward the entrance.

Michael Day pulled me into a friendly hug as soon as he saw me.

“Hey, Nara. You don’t look too happy. Everything okay?”

His simple words brought a lump to my throat.

A business partner I hadn’t seen in years could sense something was wrong, while the man I’d spent years with remained oblivious.

Michael and I had met years ago while working on a project together. He respected my abilities and even offered me a position at his company.

I’d turned him down, choosing instead to focus on Randall.

Now, as I looked at Michael, a thought crossed my mind. Once I threw Randall out of my life, maybe there’d be room for better opportunities.